Francesca Marie Smith

Francesca Marie Smith (born March 26, 1985) is an American actress known for voicing Helga Pataki on the Nickelodeon animated television series Hey Arnold!. She is also known for voicing multiple characters on Disney's Recess, most notably as Ashley B. and Swinger Girl, among others.

Awards and nominations
In 1998, Smith won the award for Best Performance in a Voice-Over – TV or Film: Young Actress at the 19th Youth in Film Awards for her role on Hey Arnold! She was nominated for Best Youth Actress in a Voice-Over Role: TV or Movie at the 15th Youth in Film Awards for Itsy Bitsy Spider and for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series: Guest Starring Young Actress at the 18th Youth in Film Awards for her role on The Secret World of Alex Mack. In 2001, she was nominated for Best Performance in a Voice-Over: TV/Film/Video – Young Actress at the 22nd Young Artist Awards for her role on Hey Arnold!

Personal life
Smith studied at Pepperdine University, graduating in 2008, and obtained a Ph.D.from USC Annenberg in 2021.

On March 27, 2019, Smith stated that she had diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis disease via Twitter (now X). On April 12, 2024, Smith was admitted to the Keck Hospital as a result of a major relapse effect of MS (similar to stroke) and stated that she was unable to walk, speak and even unable to eat solid foods for three weeks, while also having trouble breathing. Thus, she set up a fundraiser called *FrancescaAndHerMSJourney to help her health become normal again. Her current condition was also confirmed by Hey Arnold! series creator Craig Bartlett on a post he published on his Instagram account in May 2024.